The bamboo hut at Makulakocha village. File picture

Jamshedpur, Jan. 15: Get ready to take a 3km trek up the scenic Dalma hills and relax in a plush air-conditioned cottage at Makulakocha village, around 25km from the city.

The picturesque spots at Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary is all set to get a comfort twist with the Ranchi wildlife division recently drafting and sending a proposal to the state for construction of four air-conditioned cottages in Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

The proposal, which foresters said was aimed at ensuring a comfortable stay for the guests, comes after more than 10,000 tourists visited Dalma in the past year.

Speaking to The Telegraph, sanctuary forest officer Mangal Kashyap said that the entire project was estimated to cost around Rs 30 lakh, funds for which would be released by the state forest department.

“All the cottages will be air-conditioned with attached bathroom facilities. Each structure will be surrounded by a boundary wall and will have a lawn next to it. The facilities will be at par with the Tata Steel guest house in Jamshedpur,” Kashyap said.

He added that procuring land would not be a problem for them.

“The lone bamboo hut and the guest house that we have in the vicinity is already over booked, with enquiries about reservations still pouring in. Hence, we strongly feel that the additional facilities will come in handy to tackle the tourist rush,” the forest officer said, adding that they hoped for an early approval from the state government.

Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary recorded a record footfall of 10,000 last year with close to 100 bookings being made for the forest department’s Pinderbera guesthouse and the bamboo hut at Makulakocha for overnight stays from February to December 2011.

Besides the natives, the pristine Dalma hills are also a huge hit among tourists from Bengal and Odisha.